The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-19
CATHERW00D'S BAD FIX
HE Is SHORT IN HIS ACCOUNTS
WITH TIE MUTUAL GAS co.


a Defaulter- 500 the Amount of
the Embezzlement-His Bondsman
Relentless Fidelity Company.
Yesterday morning an advertisement to
the effect that Mr.. T. B. Catherwood was
no longer in the employ of the Mutual Gas
Light Company, and therefore was not
authorized to collect bills or accounts, APP
peared in the MORNING NEWS, and it started
the town talking and specializing upon what
it meant. The conclusion arrived at was that
Mr. Catherwood was short in his accounts
with the company, and that conclusion
was the result of the wording of the adyer-
tisement, for had the reference not been
made to the fact that he had not authority
to collect bills and accounts everyone would
have attributed the severance of his connec
tion with the company to "A return to his
old habit of drinking. But appearing as it
did all save his friends thought that there
was some other cause than drinking for his
discharge, and on that account the matter
was the subject of good deal of talk and
comment.
CATHERwooD's CONVERSION.
A visit was paid to Capt, Henry Blum,
President of the Mutual Gas Light Com
pany. and he was asked to explain the
meaning Of the advertisement.
at means" said he that Mr.. Gather
wood is short in his accounts with the com
pany, and it has been a great surprise to
me to learn that he is for until yesterday |
had the most implicit confidence in his in
tegrity.,"
''Will you give the circumstances of the
defaication: was asked.
''Well, will have to go back some time"
said he "in order to make the matter
GlaptpI DIraptnr and
President of the Company Mr.. Thompson
was the accountant, or cashier, and Mr..
Catherwood was the book-keeper Mr..
Thompson was a great believer i'll
temperance, and as Catherwoo1 was
drinking he began to exercise his inhu-
ence upon him, and finally converted
him to temperance ideas. Catherwood
stopped drinking and for about two years,
which nave passed since that time and the
present, he was sober, trustworthy and eff
Gent. He was an excellent bookkeeper, the
superior, believe, of any other in the city,
and do not think we can replace him.
HIS PLEDGE TO THE BISHOP.
eve had nothing to complain of until
about a couple of months ago, when he
began drinking again, but since then he
has been on several sprees. | soon found
out that he was drinking, for whenever he
came near me | smeled the odor of rum,
and ] spoke to him about it. He tried
10 make me believe that it was medicine he
was taking, but l knew better. He began
to neglect his work and was very slow
about doing whatever wanted him to do.
] asked him for a list of the deinquents
and he promised from day to day
TO give it to me, but still could not get it.
asked him why he had grown SO negligent
and be gave as an excuse that his wife was
sick and he was up every night with her, l
knew that the trouble was whisky, but
IN ha hard with
man who had behaved SO
well for two years past, so [
urged him to stop drinking and he promised
that he would. | then went with him to
Bishop Becker, and before the Bishop he
made pledge that he would never drink
again. j made up my mind that if he broke
that pledge | would be done with him.
WRITING ABUSIVE LETTERS.
Things ran along smoothly for awhile,
but about month ago he began drinking
again as hard as ever. For some unac-
countable reason he, one day last week,
wrote the most insulting notes to several of
the customers. One man he called black
guard, and a coward, and a liar, and
all these notes were most abusive
in their nature. He was under the
influence of liquor, and that, | suppose, ac-
counts for it. He had no reason for writing
in such manner, for there was not the
slightest provocation. These notes We're
sent in to me with requests for explanations,
and was forced to make apologies for them.
Catherwood had been negligent since he had
begun again to drink, and this note business
settled the matter.
HE LEARNS OF HIS DISCHARGE.
cas- most of the local directors were
away, wrote, last Friday, to the secretary
of the company in Philadelphia, and asked
him TO notify the directors there that
would have to dispense with Catherwood's
services, and for ther to send me an ac-
countant TO go over his books, as he was to
leave. Catherwood must have got hold of
my letter-book, for on Tuesday he spoke to
some one in the office, and said that he
had seen my letter to the secretary
stating that he was TO be discharged
All this time, however, had not tae slight
est doubt of his integrity; on the contrary,
! had the greatest confidence in him, and
would have trusted him to any extent: but
yesterday | received a note from Mrs
Catherwood, in which she asked me to call
upon her. She said that she was uuwell and
could not come SO see me, and as she had
something very important to speak with
me about she would be obliged if | would
call upon her.
HE CONFESSED TO HIS WIFE.
II went to see her, and to my complete
surprise she told me that her husband had
confessed TO her that he was a defaulter.
believe that it was true until / remembered
that it WAS his wife who told me of it.
returned to the office, and Catherwood had
gone. | have not seen him since. The
amount of the defalcation will not, think
exceed $1,000. 1t is amply covered by a
bond given by the American Surety Com
pany in the sum of s., 500"
Has he been taking money for any length
of timei"
Capt. Blum shrugged his shoulders and
then said:
"An accountant comes down once year
and examines all the books. He was here
last January, aud he found nothing wrong
then. About two months ago Gather
wood gave me statement
epd apparently everything was all right
Then, but very suspicious circumstance
is that that statement has disappeared from
my desk. file those things away and keep
them, and on looking in the file for the last
statement find that it is not there. do
not know what has become of it,
THE FIDELITY COMPANY.
Mr.. G. s. Haines, the agent of the Ameri-
can Surety Company, was seen at his office
and asked what the company would do in
the matter. He replied that a fidelity com
pany was like an insurance company, it in
smed n nuns intcgrity when
the books had been examined